roadhound
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Posts posted by roadhound
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Kind of ironic, but I’m glad to know there is a price to be paid for art and beauty, even today! Twenty pounds and a backpack...that is close to my recollections. I forgot to mention that in addition to the Nikon F, and its stuff, I also carried a twin lens reflex for larger format black and white. Ah, the good ‘ole days!
But I would love to cradle a nice telephoto in my left hand and snap off a few shots. You just don’t get the feel of photography with 8 ounces of point and shoot zoom lens hardware held to your eye....or worse yet, held so you can see the screen. Now where is my wind up movie camera?
The monopod and optical stabilizer feedback loop is interesting and tough to understand. I could almost grasp the cause on a tripod where a consistent vibration or even a regular, but tiny oscillation (as with a steady breeze) might be set up. But a monopod, at least when I use mine, hardly produces a repeatable movement pattern for me. I have compared sequential photos taken on the monopod and you would think I was dancing with it! The only way I could get it stable enough to interact with an image stabilizer would be to pound it into the ground, and twang it like a guitar!
To get completely off topic, have you posted any of your work on Tabblo? I know you don’t “need” praise, but those folks would go nuts. I bet you would get a hundred kudos in a week.
I am looking forward to your visit to Eureka and Austin. Did you camp in Austin? Or risk the Lincoln Motel? Did you get to Middlegate and Eastgate?. How about the Overland in Fallon?
Regarding GPS...I have used the Delorme BT-20 connected via cable to my laptop, and it works great, with mucho detail and spot on tracking. The downside is that a laptop is too big with Sheila along, and too clumsy when I’m alone. The palm TX - Delorme NT-20 Blu tooth might be the best of two worlds. You get the Delorme detail in a handheld. I doubt that combo would be as good as a purpose built for navigating a big city, but I don’t need it for that.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Eureka and Austin? Yes, but you'll have to wait to hear the details other than to say that the floor in room 14 of the Lincoln Motel has a lot of bounce in it.
I prefer a little bit of weight in my telephoto lenses. I need the solid feeling that you get with a few pounds of glass in your hands.
From what I have been able to gather the circuity in the IS system requires input (motion) or else it will start creating its own motion. You may or may not be able to hold a monopod steady enough to create a problem which problem depends on how sensitive the IS system is. I always considered a monopod good for 2 or 3 f/stops and not much more. In my opinion it doesn't come close to replacing a good solid tripod. I know for sure you get a feedback loop with a tripod and I suppose you could get away with a monopod and image stabilization if you were sloppy about it. The key thing is to be aware of it just in case it does happen.
Roadhound
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I’m pleased there will be a 6th installment. I want to see at least one photo of something I have photographed.
If Jennifer and DennyG can talk GPS, we can talk cameras a bit. Besides, I believe a camera is as fundamental to a road trip as a car.
One of the other features of the new camera is optical image stabilization. I wouldn’t even consider buying a 500mm equivalent today without it. Now if they would build in a GPS...
I do have a monopod and I do use it, but the optical stabilization on the new camera is really quite good. Obviously it won’t stop subject movement, but it sure helps on handheld photos at any focal length when you can’t shoot at a fast shutter speed.
I resist going back to SLR. I was there when they hit the market in the 1950’s and bought a Nikon F (which I still have...and which still works perfectly). I ended up a pack mule with three or four lenses, an extender or two, tripod, filters, etc. I even bought dual SLR’s for stereo! And an ice chest for film. A photo trip was like moving. And you should have seen me in the field! I looked like I was equipped to climb Mt. Everest.
90% of the time today on a trip, I have four cameras with me in the car. The main one, a tiny one I keep in my shirt pocket, and my digital stereo pair. The whole mash up fits in one small camera bag and weighs practically nothing.
I fear a SLR would entice me back to the pack mule days. And if I end up going there, you will bear the responsibility.
Besides, a new SLR and lenses could cost me $10,000, with home improvements taken into consideration. 
Now to GPS. I believe my “sage advice” was to buy an inexpensive GPS and learn from it what you want on your next one. It sounds to me that you need something that not only shows the dirt roads, it distinguishes between them and main roads.
Jennifer and DennyG have been dialoging about using the Delorme Blu tooth GPS receiver with a Palm TX. I own a Palm TX (complete with cracked screen). I know from what Jennifer has said that the Palm TX will download the detailed Delorme maps, which are quite good. If she continues to like the lash up, I may go that way, and get the Palm repaired. The marginal cost will be less than a purpose built GPS and I will have wi fi in my hand again.
I’m looking forward to the next installment....and the first.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Now there's and idea...a camera that includes the GPS position in the metadata. Canon are you listening?
Beware using the image stabilization on a monopod, it can cause a feedback loop that actually makes the shakes worse, depending on what type of IS systems it is. I know that it is the case on my $1500 (+patio furniture) telephoto.
I am the pack mule. I carry all my camera gear in a backpack that weighs close to 20 pounds when loaded for an airshow, 3 lenses, 2 bodies, +batteries adds up quickly. It also has a pouch that I put the bladder from a camelback in for those hot days on the tarmac.
I am a novice when it comes to GPS systems and am going to have to do more research before the next purchase. The Garmin that I purchased before this last trip was a snap decision based on the best info I had at the time. I have a lot to learn when it comes to GPS and navigation. If it get serious about it I will need to look at the Palm\Delorme setup. I never travel anywhere without the paper Delorme maps and would hope that an electronic version would be just as good.
roadhound
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I think that was wise. According to Franzwa, it took Peteresen 2.5 hours to go 6.5 miles on part of that road!
We have missed the park and the ovens. Both look worth a revisit.
I keep looking at your photos and marveling. I like my work, until I see yours.
I picked up a new point and shoot super telephoto (about 550mm equivalent) with a 28MM wide angle the other day to replace my Nikon 8400. I like the 8400 with its 24mm wide angle, but I wanted to catch some of the wildlife in the yard, and the Nikon 80mm obviously isn’t good enough.
I justified the purchase to Sheila on the basis that when we go to sell the house one day, the wildlife shots will be more than worth the price of the camera! It worked, or maybe it was the new gas fireplace insert she wanted that we bought that tipped the scale!! She claimed that would increase the value of the house, too. I want to buy Photoshop CS3. Will that increase the value of the house?
Back to the subject. Your photos are just flat out excellent. 2 out of three are magazine cover quality. I would like to just get one photo like that.
Is another installment in the works?
I also have a question about the GPS. Doesn't it show where you are on a sufficiently detailed map so that you can decide the route without depending on the wayfinding voice ?
Oh, and for the PBS guys, these places are on Route 66.
(I mean them no offense. I hope after their program is produced, they will have the time to go back and personally enjoy what they missed.)Keep the Show on the Road!
On topic stuff first:
I am working on the photo edits for the 6th and final installment. I think I have a few more photos that you might enjoy. I'll go back and get the first installement that I skipped over after that.
My GPS shows roads and does great on city streets and interstates. The image is not an actual satellite image but a computer generated drawing and doesn't have great detail when it comes to terrain. It is also week when it comes to the type of road that is displayed. The interstate looks the same as a gravel road. When it came to Hamilton I don't think we were even using it at the time but had we it might have kept me from taking that wrong turn.
I can relate to the PBS guys in a way. After that many days of traveling you begin to get road weary and your goal becomes getting to your destination instead of the journey.
The off topic stuff:
I see things work the same way around your house as they do here. I wanted a new lens and all it cost me was wood flooring in the dining room (plus the cost of the lens of course.)
Congrats on your new camera purchase and best of luck. One thing that you want to watch out for with the extremely long telephotos is the shutter speed. If you have the camera in an auto mode it may not pick a shutter speed that is fast enough to compensate for the motion of the lens. The rule of thumb for shutter speeds is 1 over the focal length. In other words at 500mm you should at a minimum be using 1/500th of a second. My other advice would be to use a monopod to help steady the camera if you want to use slower shutter speeds. If the camera has image stabilization that helps too.
This guy was flying over my back yard this afternoon while I was building a shed. It was shot with a 400mm lens + 1.4x extender at 1/600th of a second. Because my camera is a digital SLR with a 1.6x magnification factor (has to do with the sensor) I essentially had the equivelent of a 960mm lens.
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Roadhound,
Gees, now I wish I had gone to the National Park...spectacular photos!
Just a quick note:
About 35 miles out of Ely westbound there is a small ruin of yellow stone on the right. This is the Rosevear Stage Station/ Ranch. About 1.3 west at 39.34904, 115.39196 the old 1913 Lincoln Highway turns off toward Hamilton. It is FS 401 and CR11.
The road out of Hamilton westbound is poor, and probably not passable in most vehicles. You probably took most of CR11 into Hamilton, so you were on the original road much of the way. (Authority: The Lincoln Highway – Nevada, Franzwa and Petersen)
Keep the Show on the Road!
Thanks Keep,
That is the same road that my Delorme Gazateer has labeled as FR 401 so I believe that we were indeed on the Lincoln on the way out to Hamilton. Thanks for the validation.
On the return from Hamilton there was a Y in the road just north of the town with Belmont to the left and the route that we came in on to the right. Their wasn't a clear enough route on the map for us to get from Belmont to US 50 so we went back to 50 the way we came.
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The 1941 AAA Western edition Tour Book doesn't show Hamilton either. So, it was probably dead by then.
I'm sure it was dead long before that. There may have been a few stragglers left occupying the town when the Lincoln came through but Hamilton's glory days had long since passed. The road that bypassed that route and went over Antelope Summitt was built in 1924 according to Brian Butko's book.
The photo below is the marker on FR401 about 8 miles off of 50 and 4 miles before Hamilton. The road to Belmont is to the right and not in the picture. The main road running through the picture leads to Hamilton, and the smaller road going off to the left goes up into the hills and becomes very narrow and overgrown. Don't ask me how I know this. I've confessed to too many navigational errors already.
Roadhound
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Roadhound,
I’ve thought about this. And now I’m not only glad that they took the lesser route, I am ecstatic. I hope they don’t even mention the good route on TV.
This is like the freeway....take it, please take it. I highly recommend the freeway to everyone, except my friends. I highly recommend the Wendover route, to all but my friends.
Imagine the carnage if 10,000,000 Americans knew where the good stuff was. There would be a hot dog stand at Tippets, and it would be covered with graffiti...at least the parts that had not been carried away by vandals.
I deeply respect Brian and his good intensions, but I plead with him, DON’T TELL THEM AGAIN!
Let’s be careful what we ask for....we might get it.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Excellent point! Thanks for me setting me straight.
What trail? I don't know anything about a trail across the desert. The only way to get there as far as I know is the Interstate.
Roadhound
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The only reason I see to take the Wendover Route is because you don't know better.
Keep the Show on the Road!
I am dissappointed. They are crossing the desert on I-80 despite an e-mail from Brian Butko urging them not to. I'll watch the documentary when it comes out but it doesn't mean that I have to like it.
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Part 5 - Great Basin National Park and Westward to Austin.
In July my father, son, and I embarked on a journey across the deserts of Utah and Nevada following old trails, railroads, and highways. This installment covers days 4, 5, and 6 of that journey.
After 3 days of heavy historic highway driving it was time for the crew to take a break and stay in the same place for a day or two. After our night in Ely we refreshed our ice and food supplies and headed eastward on US 50 with Great Basin National Park as our destination.
We took a short diversion off of the highway to check out the Ward Charcoal Kilns that date back to 1876. These 30 foot tall stone structures were used to turn chords of wood into charcoal to be used in the roasting ovens in Ward that processed the raw ore from nearby mines. Each kiln would convert 35 chords of wood into over 1000 bushels of charcoal. By 1879 the railroad was bringing coke into the area and the need for charcoal in the smelters was eliminated.
Ward Charcoal Ovens
Great Basin is (in my opinion) one of the great unknown treasures of the National Park System. This lightly visited park lies about 70 miles east of Ely and has a number of interesting geological features. After pitching our tent in a camp site next the Lehman Creek we took the guided tour of Lehman Caves. Our second day in the park was spent hiking among the Bristlecone Pines out to what remains of the glacier that lies below Wheeler Peek. We also drove out of the park for a few miles to the trailhead for Lexington Arch. The climb out to the arch is a 650 foot rise over 1 1/2 miles with an impressive 75 foot tall limestone arch at the end of the trail. As I discovered, the best time for viewing the arch is during the morning hours when the sun would be shining on its face, not the late afternoon.
Parachute Formation in Lehman Caves
Bristlecone Pine
The Glacier, or what's left of it.
Our backyard, Lehman Creek.
The clouds that had brought us rain while driving through Tippets and Schellbourne the previous days stayed with us during our visit to the park. Although it did frustrate me from a photographic perspective by eliminating all the shadows it did create a memorable experience for the three of us. It's always an adventure cooking over a campstove in the rain.
Proof that the Pot-O-Gold lies at the end of a 2 lane road.
On day 6 of our journey we packed up our wet tent, folded the mud covered tarps and headed westward on US 50. We once again stopped in Ely to stock up on ice and other essential supplies, spent an hour at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum (Thursday is a quiet day at the railyard) and then continued west out of town.
Our next destination was the ghost town of Hamilton, Nevada. At one time this city was the County Seat for White Pine County and had a population of over 10,000. Once the mines dried up the town dissappeared. Not much remains of the town now with but a few visible foundations, lots of rusted tin, and a couple of brick walls still standing. There was some sign of recent activity, perhaps within the last 30 to 40 years, but no sign that anybody has lived there in quite a while. With the exception of the dirt road that is well maintained the area is covered by sagebrush. It is always amazing to me how nature reclaims what's hers. The dirt road had a Lincoln marker at the beginning of FR 401 but none of the maps or guides that I have reference Hamilton. I am still wondering what path the Lincoln actually took through this area.
Hamilton, Nevada
Hamilton, Nevada
Smelter Chimney - Hamilton Nevada
After exploring what was left of Hamilton we headed back to US 50 towards Eureka and Austin. We had decided early in the day that Austin would be our stopping point for the evening and looked forward to a meal that wasn't cooked over a Coleman stove. We stopped in Eureka at the Eureka Sentinel Museum where I was able to pick up a copy of the first and fifth editions of the Lincoln Highway Guide before continuing on to Austin. The museum is well worth the stop.
West to Austin on US 50
Next up: The Really, Really, Really, Lonely Road
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Bucfan,
I guess we gotta love the interstates!
keep the Show on the Road!
I see by today's posting that the PBS Team has reached the Great Salt Lake. It's decision time. Which route will they take?
South through Tooele and the late 20's route?
The original route through Grantsville, around Timpie Point, and down Skull Valley?
or
Will they wimp out, stay on the Interstate, and take the Wendover cutoff?
IMO they will be missing a great part of the Lincoln story if they go through Wendover and yes, I do have a biased opinion on the route they should take.
roadhound
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RoadDog,
Thanks for the tip on the prospective PBS Lincoln Highway show. The blog is fun and interesting.
I wonder how far west they will get. Roadhound just posted a great set of images from Utah and eastern Nevada. I hope they get that far.
Glad to see you on the boards...Keep the Show on the Road!
I wonder which route they will take through Utah? I hope they don't wimp out and follow 80 across the Great Salt Lake. With PBS backing them I would hope that they could get access to, and through, the Dugway Proving Grounds.
Roadhound
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I am looking forward to your next segment because I really am interested in how you “see” some things I have also photographed...and I promise not to be discouraged...I'll "buck up" somehow
!! Seeing how skilled photographers “see” hones my “eye.” Besides, I’m looking for a photo to glue to my windshield (as DennyG) when the rains come to the Northwest this winter!Your comments about the road brought a chuckle. We were headed east from Tippets toward Ibapah when we got into a series of rain squalls, some pretty powerful. The first I dismissed, but when the third left standing water on the road, and the road surface turned to yellow slime....and we lost traction even on the flat ground, I figured we had gone as far as we would that day in the family sedan. Frankly I was a little worried that we would have a hard time beating a retreat, but as it turned out, we made it back to Stone House in record time, and turned south instead of going back over Schellbourne.
I regret that Gold Hill disappointed you. I found it fascinating because I could exactly line up a photo of the mercantile and gas station from the UofM collection with the present day. It was again like stepping back in time.
I believe that the road you traveled in the last two postings is about as close as you can come to stepping back in time. There are short segments of other roads that probably equal it, but none where you can go for a hundred miles and be on the old alignment.
I find it at least a little interesting that in the three times I have been along the Tippets – Schellbourne Pass segment it has rained twice, and in your case as well, and all during the summer. You would think that desert would be a lush forest instead!
Anyway, Keep the Show on the Road!
The pressure of knowing that I have to provide a windshield photo for your mid-winter escapes may be more than I can handle.
I can hear it now:
Rose of the Road: "Dave, what are you doing out there in the garage?"
Keep the Show on the Road: "Nothing, just driving the Lincoln for a little bit."
Rose: "Waddya mean? We don't own a Lincoln. And why are you making that humming sound?" as she walks into the garage and sees Keep turning the steering wheel from side to side while making the sound of tire screeches with a photo taken of Nevada 722 somewhere west of Carrol Station taped to the Windshield.
I suppose a man could have worse vices.
Mid July is apparently "monsoon season" in the Great Basin area. I didn't know that before taking this trip but I am well aware of it now. I didn't pack any rain gear with me because I was going camping in the desert. Next time I will throw a couple of garbage bags in the camping box to be used as a rain poncho in case I need it. Fortunately I did bring a tarp for underneath the tent and a shovel to dig a trench around it.
I guess Gold Hill is like any mining town that goes through cycles of boom and bust. We happened to drive through during boom times which took away any resemblence to an abandoned ghost town. I think I know which picture you are referring to and although you might be able to line it up with present day there would be a lot of new (and not necessarily attractive) structures that aren't in the older image.
Roadhound
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Roadhound,
I think your experience with a GPS to guide you on dirt roads is what I would have expected...lost half the time. But that doesn’t mean that you didn’t know your latitude and longitude. Right? My Delorme with my laptop could always place me correctly on the map. I never used it to give me turn by turn advice in the “outback” so I don’t know how it would perform, but I’m guessing, about like yours.
I wish you had shown more photos of this stretch. But since it is familiar to me, I will satisfy myself with the shots from the sections I don’t know. My “disappointment” is in not being able to see how you would have treated subjects familiar to me. I want to learn from the master.
Oh, I wanted to mention that I’m thinking that the point coming out from the right in your Goodyear Cutoff sign photo is the point (Granite Point?) where there were plans to build a lodge and the “Fisher Lighthouse!” Here is a drawing looking the other direction (toward the place you were standing) of the planned facility downloaded from the University of Michigan collection. (Gees....I like that collection!)
Is there going to be an Austin-Eureka installment soon? Bring it on!
Keep the Show on the Road!
Keep, I wish I had more photos of this stretch to show. I took plenty but the lighting just wasn't there and they are all flat with no contrast.The sun was never shining on the foreground during that entire section between Gold Hill and the west side of Schellbourne pass. The black and white conversion of the Lincoln marker doesn't look all that much different than the color shot except that I could boost the contrast in the sky which was washed out in the color version. Plus, I don't want to discourage you to much.
Considering how many pictures I did get during the day up until that point I am more than satisfied with my click to keepers ratio.
Like I said...gives me a reason to go back.
The photo of the Goodyear cutoff section was shot from 40 06'44.00N 113 44'06.40W looking to the southeast. It goes in that direction for a few miles, past the fence, and then turns almost 90 degrees in a northeast direction taking it across the Salt Lake Desert to Granite Peak. I believe the mountain in the drawing would have been off of the left side of the picture. Incidently, I described that drawing to my father during our "what if" conversation. That would have been so cool to see that beacon at night shining across the desert.
On thing I didn't mention in my write up is how dominant Granite Peak is. On the original alignment it would have been on your right shoulder the entire time as you headed west around the Salt Lake Desert. Once we got over the Dugway Range it was easily the most recognizable geological landmark out there. Very easy to spot in the daytime and the ideal spot to run a road to and from. What could have been...
I will be working on the next installment shortly but first need to catch up on a few updates with my website and an airshow report that I owe to another website.
roadhound
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A news report this morning produced some disturbing news. Apparently a bridge pier on the I-40 bridge across the Mississippi River at Memphis has some problems.
For those of you traveling east or west, at least for now, I'd recommend a detour either norh thru Dyersburg, over the I-155 bridge and go from there; or go south on U S 61 to south of Tunica and take the U S 45 bridge. I-55, the only road bridge now in operation, is handling 50,000 + cars a day - expect delays!!!! Incidentally, the I-55 bridge was built in the late 1940's to replace the board roadway wings on the Harahan Railroad Bridge - built in 1916. Both the Harahan and I-55 bridges, depsite their ages, seem to be holding up quite well, thank you.
Full story here:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/ - click on Hernando DeSoto Bridge closed due to pier inspection
The Associated Press
Originally published 12:00 p.m., August 27, 2007
Updated 01:09 p.m., August 27, 2007
The Hernando DeSoto Bridge that carries Interstate 40 traffic between Memphis and Arkansas was closed this morning after a bridge pier in a construction zone settled overnight.
Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Thanks for the report hester_nec.
Any idea what type of bridge the Hernando DeSoto Bridge is and its age?
roadhound
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Part 4; Callao to Ely on the Lincoln (mostly)
In July my father, son, and I embarked on a journey across the deserts of Utah and Nevada following old trails, railroads, and highways. On the third day of the trip we followed the Lincoln through the Great Salt Lake Desert from Valley City, Utah to Ely, Nevada. This is the third installment of that day on the Lincoln Highway and Pony Express Trail.
We passed through the oasis of Callao at approximately 4:00 in the afternoon and headed north. Our flight plan was going to divert us off of the original route of the Lincoln and rejoin the Lincoln at the Goodyear cutoff. With the Army grounds on our right shoulder we drove past the surreal sight of buses, tractors, and military vehicles spread across the desert in the distance. Targets?
The Goodyear Cutoff is marked by a large sign on the north side with faded letters letting you know that it was a dead end road and government property as well as a small marker on the south side with the Lincoln Highway symbol. Other than those two items it looks like any other dirt road heading into the desert.
Gooyear Cutoff. The sign on the left says "Dead End Road,No Trespassing, Government Property." The little marker on the right has the Lincoln symbol with "Lincoln Highway" spelled out down its length.
After we passed the Goodyear Cutoff and headed further on to Gold Hill my father, who had by now been fully briefed on the story of the Goodyear, and I began to hypothesize about what might have been. What if the Lincoln's route had been funded instead of the one to Wendover? Why wasn't this section of the Lincoln made part of US 50 when it was missing a route through Utah? After the discussion we came to the conclusion that the Lincoln's loss was our gain as we now had an opportunity to drive this road affected little by time.
Gold Hill was not what I expected it to be. I was expecting an abandoned town with but a few buildings left standing. What we found in addition to the General Store ruins were shacks, trailers, and pickup trucks that had seen recent use. Our assumption was that the recent surge in metal prices had made it profitable to re-open the nearby mines and Gold Hill once again had a population.
Up until Gold Hill our GPS had attempted to lead us astray a couple of times but nothing to the degree that we couldn't quickly recover. In Gold Hill it had us make a number of turns that ran us in a couple of circles. After half a dozen attempts to make us turn down deer paths and long forgotten wagon trails I muted the damn thing and we headed west out of town on the best road we could find. The road dropped us off about 20 miles north Ibapah near White Sage Flat and had added approximately an extra 40 minutes to our trip.
It was now after 6:30 when we reached Ibapah and the clouds were getting much thicker. We could see the rain falling off towards the west but didn't know if it was where we were headed or not. After Ibapah, once we crossed into Nevada, the Lincoln Highway markers became much more prevelent. Every few miles there was a Lincoln logo tacked to a fence post.
Lincoln Highway between Ibapah and Eightmile
When we reached the site of Eightmile the GPS again ran us in circles. I had forgiven it when we reached Ibapah and took it off of mute as I typed in the coordinates for Tippets. At Eightmile it told us to turn left at a Y in the road. Looking at the two roads the one to the left looked like it was in better condition and therefore I assumed that it was the correct path to take. When we ended up in the driveway of a ranch and had no choice but to turn around I began to suspect something was wrong. When I saw the Nevada\Utah state line show up on the GPS with us heading toward Utah I knew for sure that we were headed the wrong way. Turning around we went back to the Y in the road and took the road to the right this time, which turned out to be correct.
We were heading towards Tippets but also into a cloudburst. On one hand a drenching rain might help to get some of the dust off of the vehicle that had accumulated over the last three days of desert driving but on the other hand I had been advised by a fellow traveler that the roads got slippery in that area when they got wet. As it turned out there was just enough rain to turn the dust on the car into a nice coating of streaked mud. My father, who was driving at the time, compared the roads to driving in Saskatchewan in the springtime, meaning that knowing how to ice skate was a plus. Engaging the 4 wheel drive helped to keep the truck in a straight line.
Tippets Ranch
We stopped briefly at Tippets Ranch but the light was fading fast and we still had to get over the Schell Creek Range. Pushing on we passed by the Stonehouse Pony Express station, crested the Schellbourne Pass, and reached US 93 and Schellbourne just as the sun was dropping behind the hills to the west. I often use the saying "gives me a reason to come back" when talking about something that I have missed out on during a trip and our late arrival at Stonehouse and the Schellbourne area gives me a reason to come back in the future.
Schellbourne Pass
Last light of the day on the Schell Creek Range
We rolled into Ely after dark and found a room for the night. We had considered going a little further to the east to find a campground but the threat of rain helped make up our minds to find a room for the night. Once we had eaten dinner and settled in our room I left my father and son at the Motel while I went to find a car wash where I could blast the mud that was caked on the underside and covering the outside of my truck. I don't mind a little bit of dirt but the situation had now become extreme.
The experience of traveling the particular section of the Lincoln that we had just traveled was one that I will always remember. In a single day we had what felt like a weeks worth of experiences, yet there are parts that I will need to go back and revisit again someday. It was extremely easy to feel the isolation that early travelers must have felt. With nobody else on the road you were alone and should something break it was up to you to fix it. I wasn't to worried as we were packed with tools, camping gear, and enough food for a week but it was easy to imagine just the same.
Next up: (After a short break to catch up on a few other things) Beehives, Bristlecones, Lonely Roads, and more dirt roads.
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Rick,
Those photos brought tears to my eyes...really. I was so pleased to see them. Boy I wish I had been there!
I think I have been as far east as Callao. Is there a nice ranch home there? Kind of out of place in the desert? It seems to me at one time the owners ran a bed and breakfast.
Boy, I’m salivating to see the next section. I love Tippets and Stone House.
You don’t mention any road problems, other than washboard. It looks like a freeway in the pictures, actually better than the section between Tippets and Ipabah in my experience. I want to see more soon!!!
And rain is a threat. The road between Tippets and Ipabah turned to a yellow mud as slippery as snail spit in a thunderstorm.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Callao is out of place in the desert. It is a patch of green surrounded by barren earth. The town, if you could call it that, is surrounded by irrigated fields which are in turn surrounded by the desert. Logically, it shouldn't be there. There are a couple of ranch homes that look like they are well cared for. I was looking for the Kearney Hotel that is listed in the Lincoln Guide, which is supposedely now a barn, but didn't see a building that looked like what I thought a hotel should look like. There is a Pony Express marker that identifies the stop as Willow Springs.
The road through all of the route was in good condition with one exception, which you have already alluded too, and I will explain in more detail in the next installment. The whole route could have been traveled in a sedan, without to much problem as long as you were careful, but having the high clearance was a definite comfort. Not to give to much away about the next installment but we did hit rain and it was between Ibapah and Tippets.
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Thank you for letting me live vicariously through your road trip writeup! What an exciting view of Dugway Pass. I love how the road stretches and then curves back. The section in the left of the photo is saying, "If you drive me now, you can be all the way out there soon enough, you know." A road in the middle of a photo is like a good, strong verb in the middle of a sentence.
When I read your "Up Next" tag, at first I thought you were going to ask whether your GPS loses its flavor on the bedpost overnight.
Looking forward to the next installment!
jim
Thanks Jim. If my pictures are talking to you then I must be doing something right.
rick
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Part 3: Running with the Ponies
In July of this year my father, son, and I took a journey across the deserts of Nevada and Utah following old trails, railroads, and highways. This is the second part of day 3 of that journey and takes place approximately between 10:00 am and 4:30 pm.
We continued south past the entrance to the Dugway Proving Grounds leaving the comfort of paved asphalt for the adventure of gravel roads. Proving the theory that faster is better on washboard roads we cruised at a smooth 45mph south on Ericson Pass Rd. for 9 miles until we met up with the Pony Express Trail and then turned west.
As we drove over the low rolling hills we encountered small groups of antelope grazing along the roadside. Further along as we neared Simpson Springs we came upon a sizeable herd of horses blocking our path. My son said that he saw brands on them but I can find no evidence of brands on any of the pictures that I shot. In any event, once we got them to move aside for us to pass we continued on and stopped briefly at Simpson Springs.
An antelope eyes us carefully as we pass by.
A pair of the many horses grazing along the Pony Express Trail
Simpson Springs was once a Pony Express Station and later a stop as part of the Overland Stage. In recent years (1930's) it was home to a CCC camp. Simpson Springs also hosts a campground that was originally going to be one of our overnight stops but since it was only 11:00 a.m. we all felt that it was to early in the day to start pitching the tent and so we continued westward toward Dugway Pass.
The Pony Express stations were spaced out at a distance of approximately 14 miles, depending upon availability of water. During the 30's stone obelisks were built by the CCC as part of the WPA. The stone monuments still stand although not all of them still have the bronze plaques that were originally placed to identify the stations. There is currently an effort underway to replace the plaques that are missing.
Monument for the Riverbed Pony Express Station
It is difficult to describe the feeling of driving across the Great Salt Lake Desert. If I had to come up with 1 or 2 words it would be "vast isolation." In the distance that we traveled between Timpie Point and Schellbourne, Nevada, we would see only a handful of vehicles. The air in the Salt Lake Basin became noticeably clearer with infinite visibilities. For all we knew we could have been the last three people on earth.
As we headed across the Dugway Valley I came up with the idea of giving my 14 year old son a turn at the wheel. He had never driven my truck before and was somewhat shocked when I offered him the opportunity. As he put it in gear he immediately stepped on the gas pedal, spinning the tires in the gravel. The acceleration on second attempt was much smoother as I coached him along making sure that steering and speed were kept within acceptable limits. As we began the ascent up Dugway Pass we once again switched seats and passing each other in front of the vehicle I could tell by the look on his face that he had a story to tell his friends when we got back home.
Dugway Pass looking east
On the west side of Dugway Pass we stopped at the Dugway Geode Beds for lunch and a bit of mineral hunting. We had thought ahead and brought a pick and shovel with us and after a quick lunch we found an open bit of dirt and started digging away expecting to find geodes to take back home. After 45 minutes of sweating in the 95 degree sun we gave up and decided to look for some that might be lying on the surface. For some reason I was expecting that the geodes would be plentiful and easy to find. Another 30 minutes passed before we decided that we needed to continue on westward without our prizes. Now I would have to find a gift shop to bring a present back for my wife and daughter and there were no gift shops in sight.
View from the Black Rock Pony Express Station looking toward Granite Peak.
Just west of the Dugway Geode Beds the original Lincoln Highway rejoins the Pony Express Trail. We continued on across a short section of dried lakebed and around the southern end of the Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. We rounded the north end of the Fish Springs Range, past the ruins of Boyd's Station and then across a larger section of dried lakebed towards the town of Callao.
Roadway near Fish Springs with Granite Peak in the distance.
Fish Springs Pony Express marker
When we reached Callao it was 4:30 in the afternoon and although we still had a few hours of daylight left there were a couple of things that concerned me. First was the remaining miles we had to cover. Since my goal was to "see" the Lincoln I did not want to be driving any part of it after dark. Second concern was navigation, I didn't want to be navigating my way after dark. Fuel situation was still good and no reason for concern. The third item of concern was the weather. Looking westward we could see the thunderheads building. I did have some concern about being caught in a thunderstorm from the aspect of road conditions. Although most of what we had traveled during the day was a hard packed, graded, gravel I had no way of knowing what the rest of the road was like.
I would have preferred to stop and camp near Callao for the night but not finding a campground, or anybody we could ask about pitching a tent for the night, we pushed on...
Up Next: Part 4; Does Your GPS really know the right way to go?
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These photos have me itching!!! I especially like the "classic view" of the Lincoln and the shot of Mistway Road. Thank you for sharing! jim
Thanks to all of you for such a great response.
Why is the grass growing in such a uniform line in the Kennecot photo? It doesn't look like a joint in the concrete.Until you pointed it out I hadn't really noticed. I would assume that it was a seem in the concrete. It seems to be to uniform and straight to be a crack. Unfortunately, even if I had noticed it at the time there is not much I could do to investigate closer since the area is private property.
Have you checked for matching sites/ views at the University of Michigan site?I haven't look at the U of M site since I returned. I did look into it quite extensively a month before departing and I may have taken some similar shots. Will have to look into it as time allows.
Did you keep any GPS citations?In retrospect I wish I would have. In the future I am going to have to take better notes as I photograph these journeys. It would have come in handy identifying some of the geographical landmarks and Pony Express markers that have lost their plaques.
Back to work for me, more pictures to process.
Roadhound
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Last July my father, son, and I embarked on a journey to follow a few old trails, railroads, and highways
through the western deserts of Nevada and Utah. I am skipping over the first two days of the journey for
now and will post those at a later date. On the third day of the trip we started out in West Valley City,
Utah, bound for Ely, Nevada. Our intent was to follow the early alignment of the Lincoln Highway across the Salt Lake Desert as much as possible.
The first part of the route
We followed Utah 201 west away from the urban area surrounding West Valley City, passing Magna, Arthur, and Garfield making our first stop at the Pony Express marker alongside the highway at Toronto Caves. This section of roadway lies on the Kennecot property and is not open to the public. The Pony Express marker was placed in 1946 and did not mention the nearby Lincoln Highway.
The classic view of this section of roadway that has been seen in a few books about the Lincoln.
We continued along past the Kennecot facilities following Utah 201 until it merged onto westbound I-80. Our stay on the Interstate was brief as we exited I-80 and headed southbound on Utah 36 until turning west on Utah 138. Utah 138 took us into Grantsville were we jogged over 1 street to the North and followed E. Clark St. through town. Since it was still early in the morning the Donner-Reed museum was closed so we continued on through town turning right on Old Lincoln Highway which ran parrallel to Utah 138 for a few
miles northwest of town.
Turning back onto 138 we continued north-westerly until reaching Mistway Road. A left turn kept us on what appeared to me to be the roadbed for US40 or a late incarnation of the Lincoln. The roadway was a full 2 lanes wide, asphalt, with faded striping down the middle. The roadbed ended at the base of Timpie Point were it was cut off by I-80. Getting around Timpie Point required a climb up and over the point along a steep and rough road to continue on as there was no access to the Interstate at that point. I might have been able to drive around the base but chose to take the road up the hill and exercise the four wheel drive.
The dry land between the base of Timpie Point and the Great Salt Lake has been used as a transportation corridor dating back to at least the wagon trains. In the past it has been used as part of the Hasting's Cutoff (California Trail), Lincoln Highway, Victory Highway, US 40, and is today used by the Union Pacific Railroad, powerlines, and Interstate 80.
Mistway Rd. Looking east. The green signage along the interstate can be seen on the right side and Timpie
Point is at the end of the raod.
On the west side of Timpie Point was Big Springs and a marker for the Hastings Cutoff. The story of this
route of the California Trail is quite interesting and part of the Donner Party lore. More information on the Hastings Cutoff can be found at http://www.utahcrossroads.org/G_HR_Tea.htm
Hastings Cutoff marker
From Big Springs the Lincoln headed south down Skull Valley towards Dugway. We opted to follow the paved road, Utah 196, which was 1/2 mile to the west and eventually joined the same route as the Lincoln. Evidence of earlier alignments were present running alongside and occasionally crossing underneath our path as we headed south towards Dugway.
The Lincoln heading south from Big Springs and Timpie Point.
Brown's Ranch along Skull Valley Road
At the end of Utah 196 is the entrance to the Dugway Proving Grounds. The Lincoln is now within the Army Base and cannot be followed unless you gain special clearance, and even then I have heard that photography is very controlled. Our route would have to take us around the proving grounds and along the Pony Express Trail.
The Army takes its security seriously here.
Stay tuned for Part 3; Antelopes, Ponies, and Obelisks. Oh My!
Roadhound
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In fact, I am thinking about doing a road map site that presents auto trail routes on the “original” maps. What would be the interest? I'm not into busy work.
Keep the Show on the Road
Are you kidding? Not to ask you to do any more work than you currently are but a website like that would be a resource that I would use often.
roadhound
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Regardless of whether it's an old railroad bed, two-lane road, tunnel, or even an old abandoned interstate alignment such as that on I-44 west of Rolla, MO, there is something about the mystique of an abandoned route that gets the juices flowing. Perhaps it's all the ghosts of travels past who are still there.....anyone know what I mean, or am I just crazy?
I've never been on I-44 west of Rolla but I get exactly what you mean. If your crazy then I am too.
Great thread, thanks for kicking it off Kevin.
Roadhound
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Roadhound,
As always, thanks for the comments! I suppose I am just about as interested in the history of a road or site as I am in the place itself today. I wish I had had the 1910 image of the hotel before I took the trip so I could have lined up the then and now. Of course that would have presupposed I knew the Blach Hotel existed!
For a guy with your talents, Central and North Central Oregon are gold mines. Section two of this trip will catch a few more of the roadside scenes.
I don’t expect a lot of viewer traffic on these North Central Oregon posts because the roads and the area are unpromoted and mostly unknown. The Native American scenes at Sherars Bridge, for example, are as real as it gets...no fancy feather war bonnets and tom toms here for the tourists. But since the tourists want war bonnets and tom toms, even though they were never used here, they ignore or are ignorant of the authentic. Works for me, otherwise there would be a gift shop at the bridge!
I thought the fellow in the movie giving the Native American Power gesture with the rapids rushing in the background, and his catch in hand, was a classic clip. We chatted for a couple of minutes when he got up to the bluff.
Keep the Show on the Road!
I usually find out about the history of a site after I get back home unless there is a placard next to it, then I photograph the placard and read it when I get home. Its not that I don't want to learn while I'm there its just I am always in photo shoot mode.
Your reports more than do justice to the road you are traveling and in their way are promoting the area. I know that it has got me thinking seriously about bumping it up on the list of destinations to be considered for next year's vacation. I would assume that the camping is good in that area?
In regards to the fishing at Sherars Bridge you could almost convert that to black and white and with the exception of the baseball cap, and maybe the shorts too, the scene is not much different than it would have been 100 years ago.
Roadhound
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Native Americans fishing on shaky platforms over a raging waterfall, an abandoned alignment along cliffsides, an old service station with Orange Crush sign, gasoline below $1.00, abandoned hotels, stage coach stops, wagon roads, and ghost towns. If any of these catch your attention, read on.
More to come. This little adventure will continue in a later post with the semi ghost towns of Antelope and Shaniko, an old alignment running beside a stage road past a stage stop, and a vintage service station with antique pumps still intact and displaying an Orange Crush sign.
Great report KtSotR! I wish I had your knack for the historical details. I drive through an area and see an old building to take a picture of, you on the other hand take the picture and provide the history.
I do have pictures of that area that I won't share. They were taken on my last visit through that area which was on a vacation with my parents in 1976. The pictures were all taken with a 110 Kodak Instamatic. Looking at your pictures I do believe that I am overdue for a return visit.
Anxiously awaiting the follow up.
Roadhound
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Up until this morning I had never even thought about the font used on roadsigns, now I can't stop looking at it.
All the roadsigns on the 5 miles of soutbound Interstate 580 that I drive to work between San Ramon and Dublin are FHWA Series D. I'll check northbound this afternoon.
roadhound the easily obsessed
New Pbs Documentary
in Lincoln Highway / U.S. 30 / U.S. 50
Posted
Brian,
First of all thank you so much for the compliment. I'm glad your enjoying the photos. I think that I mentioned in one of the postings that your book was in the cab of the truck with us and referenced often.
I really was hoping that the PBS team covered the route that I took last summer, especially if they were able to cover the section that I was not able to access through Dugway. Even though I called them 'wimps' for staying on the interstate I do understand their reasoning. I also look forward to the documentary.
I hope you are correct about the likelyhood of vandals making the trip being slim. I found that you have to have a level of committment to find it even if you know where to look. There was 3 months of heavy research with the help of your book and information provided by Keep the Show on the Road that was extremely beneficial. If you've gone to the effort of researching the route you will hopefully have developed a level of appreciation and the realization that what has remained through the Salt Lake Desert is truly special and to be preserved. I did.
Rick Pisio (aka Roadhound)